title: Prevalence and management of behavioural and psychiatric symptoms on a continuing care unit for patients with dementia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  With the increasing concerns over the safety of some pharmacological interventions or lack of sufficient evidence of effectiveness in managing neuropsychiatric symptoms in dementia, there is a constant need to review how such patients are managed. This study looks at the prevalence and management of behavioural and psychiatric symptoms amongst patients with dementia in a National Health Service (NHS) continuing care unit.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, a survey of all 50 patients admitted to a longstay NHS-funded dementia care unit was carried out. The socio-demographic details along with severity of dementia, neuropsychiatric symptoms, and medication were obtained on all the patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All 50 patients were prescribed some form of medication for either physical and/or mental health reasons. Only five (10%) patients were not prescribed any form of psychotropic medication. A lack of non-pharmacological treatment options for the treatment of neuropsychiatric symptoms was evident in the unit with only one occupational therapist available.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Effective management of severe behavioural and psychiatric symptoms in dementia is challenging even in a NHS continuing care dementia unit due to the absence of clear benefit from pharmacological interventions and lack of resources for optimum non-pharmacological interventions.
authors.affiliation: Lister Hospital, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom. cdbalalle@yahoo.co.uk
authors.forename: Champa
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Balalle
authors.forename: Dilini
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jayalath
authors.forename: Kuttalingham
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shankar
authors.forename: Kunle
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ashaye
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003704:Dementia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D016852:Housing for the Elderly; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009788:Occupational Therapy; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013222:State Medicine
chemical_list: D011619:Psychotropic Drugs